Specialists in Breast Health

Inspired by survivors, committed to research, determined to help.

Premier is committed to staying at the forefront of the latest technological advances in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. We offer patients the most up-to-date options for treatment and help determine the best possible course of care based on individual needs.

Multidisciplinary Approach
At Premier, we partner with centers, listed below, that use a team approach for breast treatment. This multidisciplinary method of care means a team of experts, including oncologists, surgeons, and pathologists, meet in weekly conferences to determine the best and most comprehensive plan for your care.

• Thompson Breast Center
• Parkwest Comprehensive Breast Center
• St. Mary's Health System
• The Oak Ridge Breast Center

Surgical Expertise You Can Trust
Our women’s health team includes board-certified surgeons who have specialized knowledge and skills relating to your diagnosis, pre- and post-operative management of breast health, breast problems and surgical oncology of the breast.

Compassionate Care You Can Count On
At Premier, we empower patients and their families to take an active role in the decisions regarding treatment and management of their disease. We are dedicated to timely diagnosis, comprehensive treatment and successful rehabilitation for all breast problems. Our team understands that waiting for test results can be unnerving, so we will coordinate same-day evaluations with primary care doctors if a patient has an urgent problem or is experiencing anxiety.

Our entire staff is dedicated to making the patient experience as comfortable and convenient as possible. We will facilitate all follow-up care from medical/radiation oncology and reconstructive surgery to community outreach and support services.

Specialized Care
Premier Surgical Associates is dedicated to providing specialized surgical care for women while advancing breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Our approach to treatment and care is based on a partnership between patients, their families, and their primary care physicians. In our continual quest to make the most advanced technological treatment options available and to deliver them with compassion and expertise, we are excited to offer two innovative services to our breast cancer patients.

Bard Innovations—
VACORA™ (Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy System)

We now offer the VACORA™ System “Bandage” Needle Biopsy procedure to help in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The advanced, multi-patented technology known as the VACORA™ System is the world’s first self-contained vacuum-assisted breast biopsy system. Everything—including the biopsy vacuum, tubing, fluid canister, biopsy needle, and battery power source— is incorporated into the system, which weighs only one pound. The self-contained, lightweight design of the system allows for exceptional handling and maneuverability during MRI, Ultrasound, and Stereotactic biopsy procedures.

In many cases, the VACORA™ System can be used to biopsy lesions with an accuracy that may allow patients to avoid an open surgical biopsy.

Additional benefits of this new technology:

• Allows for a quick outpatient procedure
• Leaves only a tiny incision that can be covered by a small bandage
• Results in little or no surface scarring
• Biopsy can be performed in our office, allowing for maximum convenience and flexibility
• Patients can typically resume normal activities immediately

Proxima Therapeutics—
MammoSite Radiation Therapy System™ (RTS)

For early-stage breast cancer patients interested in breast conservation therapy, a new technology is available that allows for accelerated partial breast irradiation. MammoSite RTS is a device, approved by the FDA in 2002, to deliver brachytherapy (internal radiation) into the breast. Either during a lumpectomy or in a subsequent procedure, the MammoSite catheter with a balloon attached to the tip is temporarily placed into the breast area where the tumor was removed. A tiny radioactive seed is then placed into the balloon by the physician using a computer-controlled machine. Once inserted, the seed delivers radiation from within the breast to the area where cancer is most likely to recur. At the conclusion of each 10-minute treatment session, the seed is removed so that no radiation remains in the patient between or following treatment. When the MammoSite is used as primary therapy, treatments are administered twice a day for five days on an outpatient basis.

While most lumpectomy patients undergo seven weeks of whole breast external beam radiation therapy, MammoSite RTS gives patients an outpatient, 5-day treatment option. Another major benefit of the procedure is that it allows for the use of limited and targeted radiation, reducing side effects and limiting the exposure of healthy tissue to radiation.